Canada’s government has decided to fund that modernization, much as Australia and New Zealand are modernizing the Halifax Class’ ANZAC Frigate contemporaries. Refits are scheduled to begin with HMCS Halifax in 2010, and that ship is scheduled to re-enter service about 18 months later in 2012. By 2017, all 12 frigates are scheduled to be upgraded as part of a C$ 3.1 billion (about $2.9 billion) program.This DID article explains the scope of the upgrades, notes the current systems, and covers the contracts and developments involved…
Upgrading The Halifax Class
Upgrades will be conducted through Canada’s FELEX (Frigate Life Extension) program. FELEX will manage all work elements in the modernization program, to varying degrees, as the project’s overall Design Integration Authority. The FELEX program is responsible for the ship level design integration including any unique/specific engineering changes required. It is also responsible for effective risk mitigation via scope management, design integration engineering, integrated risk management across all elements of the HCM, schedule coordination, and implementation/installation management.
Some projects will be conducted wholly within FELEX, while others will be stand-alone projects that receive independent funding. Still others will be rolled into the ships’ maintenance efforts. Integral FELEX Projects include:
Internal Communications System Upgrade.
This is also being done to a number of American ships, who are replacing their copper wiring and installing fiber optics and gigabit Ethernet to go with their network and SATCOM hardware upgrades. The ships’ current Communications Control and Monitoring System (CCMS) was supplied by SED Systems of Saskatoon, with a message processing system from Lockheed Martin Electronic Systems Canada.
Harpoon Missile System Upgrade
Halifax Class ships currently carry 8 BGM-84 Block IC anti-ship missiles each. Boeing’s Harpoon Block II adds GPS guidance, much better near-shore capability, and land attack options.
Electronic Warfare System upgrade –
Electronic Support Measures. Currently the SLQ-501
Canews (Canadian Electronic Warfare System), and SLQ-505 radar jammer.
Semi-independent (sovereignty-association?) projects include:MODERNIZED COMMAND AND CONTROL SYSTEM
The Halifax class ships currently use the SHINPADS integrated processing and display system supplied by Lockheed Martin Canada, each using about 15 AN/UYK-501 workstations manufactured by General Dynamics Canada. They will be replaced with Lockheed Martin and Saab Systems 9LV system, a popular combat system used around the world in classes ranging from Sweden's ultra-modern Visby corvettes to Australia’s forthcoming Canberra Class LHD amphibious landing ships. The 9LV provides a core element of the Lockheed Martin Halifax Class Modernization (HCM) Team’s Canadian Advanced Command and Control System, or “CanACCS-9LV.”
RADAR UPGRADES
The current set includes two Thales Nederland SPG-503 (STIR 1.8) fire control radars, Raytheon's SPS-49v5 long-range active air search radar operating at C and D bands, Saab Microwave Systems HC150 Sea Giraffe medium-range air and surface search radar operating at G and H bands.
IRIUS – Long-range infrared search and track system.
Important for near-shore surveillance, and ships operating under low-emissions restrictions. IRST on ships is specially useful against small surface targets, low flying aircraft, and anti-ship missiles. Its TV images are especially useful for threat classification. DRS Canada and Thales Nederland won with their Sirius system
ESSM – Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile.
The frigates currently carry 16 RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missiles, which cannot cope with modern threats. Raytheon’s RIM-162 ESSM is an entirely new missile that has become the new NATO standard, with substantially better maneuverability and capability against low-flying targets. IFF Mode S/5. Identification Friend-or-Foe technology is not foolproof, but if it fails, the results can be tragic. IFF Mode 5 offers new algorithms that improve performance, encryption, range, and civil compatibility. It also adds “lethal interrogation” as a must-respond last chance, and the ability to see individual aircraft even when they’re close together. The further addition of IFF Mode S assigns a discrete ‘squawk’ which is unique to each aircraft.
Maintenance projects will include:
Replacement of the ships’ Integrated Machinery Control System.
Unspecified modifications to the Saab Bofors 57mm naval gun. The most modern 57mm guns offer substantially better capabilities against targets like helicopters, small boats and UAVs, and can even be used in a last-ditch defensive role against anti-ship missiles.
Replacement of the BAE Systems Shield Mk2 missile decoy launchers, which fire chaff to 2 km and infrared rockets to 169m in distraction, confusion and centroid seduction modes. In 1997, Canada ordered Nulka hovering decoy systems from BAE Australia, to equip its 4 aged Tribal/Iroquois Class destroyers. Nulka is also used by Australian and US Navy ships.
Replacement of the current Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 I-band navigation radar.
A pair of important projects aren’t conducted by Canada’s Navy, but the Navy will have to make sure they can work with the Halifax Class ships. The new CH-148/H-92 Maritime Helicopter will replace the existing CH-124 Sea King Fleet, and a new Military Satellite Communication System will offer greatly improved bandwidth and performance.
Respected defense journalist David Pugliese of the Ottawa Citizen notes that: “Most of the industry folks that I have talked to acknowledge that this [18 months per ship, complete by 2017] is a tight and aggressive schedule considering the amount of work that needs to be done.”
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| From Your Navy Today: On the mainmast (situated to the left in the
picture), the platform upon which the new two-dimensional long-range air
search radar is mounted, is clearly evident, as are the Electronic Warfare
antennae mounted to the right. Such antennae generally operate / exploit
frequencies that require them to be positioned as high as possible in a
warship, as a means of extending their working horizon.
Moving forward (to the right in the picture) is the frigate’s new three-dimensional radar (so-called as it will provide range, bearing and height information on detected air tracks) in the foremast to the right. Also just visible is the ship’s new fire control system, immediately ahead of the 3D radar. |
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| This is the sensor assembly for the new meteorological system aboard HMCS Vancouver A detailed document on it can be found here. (Photo by John Webber) |
On November 25/14, Defence Minister Rob Nicholson announced the successful modernization of the first four Halifax-Class frigates. They are: HMCS Halifax, Fredericton, Calgary, and Winnipeg. The program has remained on budget and is scheduled to be completed by 2018, according to the Department of National Defence.
RADIO
The date of this announcement is unknown, however the 721 image is dated June 2010. Since this announcement is somewhat general, it is believed the RCN fleet was retrofitted with this radio.
"Eight-five Rockwell Collins 721S radios were recently delivered to the Royal Canadian Navy. Rockwell Collins recently provided enhanced networking communication capability to the Royal Canadian Navy fleet by completing delivery of the company’s 721S radios.
“The 85 radios, delivered on-time and on-budget, will enable the RCN to fit their main combatants and allow them to take full advantage of the wideband data throughput of their SNR systems,” said Alan Prowse, vice president and managing director for the Americas for Rockwell Collins. “The RCN is a strong supporter and early adopter of the Canadian-developed SNR capability, which is now fielded internationally.” Prowse added that the Royal Canadian Navy is the latest in a series of militaries to acquire the 721S radio for naval operations. The growing popularity of the 721S is largely driven by its proven ability to meet the throughput and data needs of Rockwell Collins’ SubNet Relay system.
The 721S is among an elite class of radios designed and tested to operate with SubNet Relay at data rates as high as 2 megabits per second in a 500 kilohertz channel, providing the advanced communications capability that is required today.
The 721S radio, a drop-in, software-defined radio replacement for the legacy Rockwell Collins AN/GRC-171 communications system, requires only five minutes to install, weighs 60 percent less than its predecessor and offers vastly improved capabilities. It is fully interoperable with legacy radios in use by coalition forces and includes a new remote control feature that allows customers to upgrade their installations for “lights out” operation, reducing manpower needs. The radio also features Rockwell Collins’ patented Clarity™ technology, which eliminates background noise in both transmit and receive modes and provides four times the communications coverage compared to legacy radios".
Select this link to see the 721 specifications. Brochure courtesy Rockwell Collins.
